Seeding device for corn-planters.



PATENTED JULY 28, 1903.

J. KAY LOR. SBEDING DEVICE FOR CORN PLANTERS.

Arruonmr II'LED no. 3. 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

tion taken at line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

I bracket,-preferably formed with the bottom Patented July 28, 1903.

GFFICE.

JOHN KAYLOR, OF DECATUR, ILLINOIS.

SEIEDING' DEVICE FORCORN-PLANTERS.

SPECIFICATION forming'part of Letters Patent No. 734,717, dated July 28, 1903.

Application filed December 3 1902. Serial No. 133,698. (No model.) I

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN KAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Decatur, in

i the county of Macon and State of Illinois, have being fed edgewise from the rotary seed-plate proper into cells or pockets arranged annularly around such seed-plate. known fact that while grainsof corndiffer considerably from each other inftheir length or width they differ much less in their thickness-that is to say, in their narrowest diametor-and my present invention is designed to' take advantage of this fact, and is designed also to provide each cell or pocket into which the grains of corn are fed edgewise with a cover-plate having both a limited rising-andfalling movement and a limited amount of forwai'd-and-backward movement, whereby grains of corn fed edgewise beneath such cover-plates will be properly seated in their cells or pockets, although varying considerably in either breadth orthi'ckness, or both,

from the breadth-and thicknessof ordinary grains of corn. -I attain this object by the means shown in the drawings and hereinafter specifically described. That which I regard as new will be set forth in the claims.

In theaccompanying drawings, Figure l is a top or plan view. Fig. 2 is a vertical see- Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the seed-plate with the cutofi plate removed; and Fig. 4 is a.detai1, being an inner end view of one of the cell or pocket covers.

Referring to said figures of the drawings, lOindicates an ordinary annular bottom plate having the usual vertical flange 11, around which is adapted to be placed the lower end of an ordinary cylindrical seedbox 12.

13 indicates a downwardly-projecting platelOffrom which rises a central conical hub portion'l t, preferablycastintegral with the bottom plate 10 and bracket 13.

15 indicates a ring surrounding the hub It is a well-' portion 14 and resting on a shoulder or series of shoulders 16, formed on such hub portion, said ring being provided with a beveled gear 17, adapted to mesh with another beveled gear 18, suitably secured on one end of a driving-shaft 19.

20 indicates an annular'seed-plate, which,

as best shown in Fig. 2, is formed with its connected therefrom, and I have therefore shown a connection between these two parts of the ordinary kind-namely, complementary projections and notches. At theedge of the plate 20, and preferably formed therewith, is a series of short vertical projections 21, located at regular intervals with their inner or forward faces substantially in line with the edge of the plate 20, such forward or inner faces being preferably rounded, so as to present no obstructive corners to the grains of corn that may be moved toward and past them. From the rear sides of these projections 21 extends an annular horizontal piece 22, the upper face of which is below the tops of the said projections 21 and somewhat higher than the surface of the plate 20 near the periphery of said plate.

23 indicates an annular vertical wall secured to or formed with the horizontal extension-piece 22, which wall is onthe upper face of said piece 22 and located near the'outer edge thereof.

24 indicates a series of cover-plates each '95 an opening 26 in the annular wall 23, said provided with a stem 25, that projects through opening being slightly larger than the stem 25, whereby the forward or inner end of the cover-plate 24 will be'allowed a limited amount of up-and-down movement. k

27 indicates a cotter-pin passing through the stem 25 in rear of the wall 23,"which ef-- fectually prevents accidental disengagement of the cover-plate from the wall.

28 indicates a coiled spring around the stem 25 of each cover-plate and bearing against the inner face of said wall 23 and the rear of the cover-plate, the tendency of such spring being to keep the cover-plate projected toward the seed-plate 20. As shown, each of these cover-plates lies between two adjacent vertical projections 21, but does not fit between such projections close enough to prevent the plate from having the free limited movements intended. Beneath each coverplate in the horizontallyprojecting piece 22 is formed an opening 29, one of which is clearly shown near the lower end of Fig. 3, where one of the cover-plates is represented as broken off. Into each of these openings 29 projects a downward ledge 30, formed on the under side of each cover-plate 24, which forms in the construction shown the back and one side wall of the cell or pocket that receives the corn. The better to facilitate the entrance of a grain of corn into each opening 29 the surface of the plate 20 opposite each of said openings is preferably slightly beveled, as indicated in Fig. 2. As shown in the drawings, each plate 24 is provided with small side wings 31, which rest upon the surface of the horizontally-extending piece 22.

32 indicates a cut-off plate consisting, as shown, of a ring portion fitting within the upturned vertical portion or flange 11 of the bottom plate 10, to which it is preferably removably attached in the ordinary way by means of interfitting projections and recesses, as will be well understood. The cut-off plate or ring 32 also has a hub portion 33, the ring portion and the hub portion being connected together by suitable arms 34. The hub portion 33 rests upon a suitable shoulder formed on the upper portion of the other hub portion 14 and is locked in place by a thumb-nut that is screwed down upon a bolt 35, the head of which is suitably held in the interior of the hub portion 14.

36 indicates an angular bracket carried by the cut-off plate 32, to the vertical portion of which bracket are secured suitable guardplates 37, the lower ends of which project down below the cut-off plate close to the surface of the seed-plate 20 and are intended to prevent grains of corn from passing out through the large discharge-opening 38, that is formed in the bottom plate 10. 39 indicates a spring-plate also secured to the inner face of the vertical portion of said angular bracket, near one end thereof and near one end of the large discharge-opening 38, referred to, and acting in the usual manner to prevent grains of corn from passing to such opening except when such grains of corn are within the seed cells or pockets described.

40 indicates a spring-arm, one end of which is attached to the vertical portion of the bracket 37, the other or free end lying close to the inner edge of the cut-off plate and also close to theflupper surface of the seed-plate 20. Such arm is arranged and adapted to contact with any grains of corn that may be projecting from beneath any of the plates 24 and acts to settle a grain of corn properly in place under its plate 24, or in case two grains of corn should be partially wedged beneath one plate 24 it acts to force one of such grains away, so as to permit the other one to properly settle in place beneath the plate.

41 indicates arms, which in the construction shown are secured to the under face of the hub portion 33 and project over and in contact with the plate 20, or nearly so, so that as such plate is rotated the arms will act to direct the corn toward the edge of such plate.

It will be understood that through the gearing shown the plate 20 can be driven intermittently through the action of a check-row Wire on the forks of a check-rower head or can be driven continuously by other means, the first method of driving being, of course, when the machine is used for hill-planting and the second method when it is desired to use the machine as a drill-planter.

of grains of corn be dropped in each hill, and with the grains of corn carried under the plates 24 it is evident that as the plates are spaced a uniform distance apart with each full operation of the check-rower forks the seed-plate will be turned a certain distance and a certain number of grains necessarily dropped through the large opening 38 in the bottom plate 10.

By the construction shown it will be evident that grains of corn are adapted to be fed from the seed-plate 20 into the openings 29 below the cover-plates 24 and when in such position must rest on the bottom plate 10 with their side edges toward the side of the seedbox and will be'swept along on such bottom plate as the seed-plate 20 rotates until they are brought over the discharge-opening 38. The spaces provided beneath the coverplates 24 are of a size and shape that will not permit grains of corn to enter other than in an edgewise manner, and while the space between each cover-plate 24 and the seed-plate 20 is designed to admit a grain of corn in this manner without disturbing the normal position of a cover, yet in case a grain of corn of unusual thickness or unusually rounded is presented to such opening the cover will be raised or lifted a little at its forward end by the pressure of the grain at that point, being allowed this movement through the loose fit In hill-planting it is highly desirable that the same number of its stem 25 in its hole 26 in the-vertical arm 40.

r or through the eEect of the pressure exerted on that particular grain of corn by the spring- It will thus be seen that by my improved means-I am enabled to provide cells or pockets which are adapted for receiving under all conditions only a single grain of corn and which under normal conditions will always receive a single grain of corn ofordinary size while the seed-plate is being rotated, and yet if agrain of corn of unusual shape-- that is, either unduly thick or wide-is presented to the opening of such cell or pocket it will by reason of the flexibility of the coverplate be received and carried forward, so that there is but very slight liability of the machine delivering through the opening 38 any number of grains except the predetermined number, which of course insures uniformity in the amount deposited in each hill.

That which I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isl. The combination with a seed-plate, of a series of covers opposite the seed-plate and arranged over openings, each of which opening's is adapted to receive a grain of corn, and means for flexibly securing such covers to permit them to have a backward-and-forward and a rising-and-falling movement, substantially as specified. t. 2. The combination with a seed-plate, of a series of covers opposite the seed-plate and arranged over openings, each of which openings is adapted to receive a grain of corn, and means for permitting a baokward-and-for- Ward movement of such covers, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a seed-plate, ot' a series of coversopposite the seed-plate and arranged over openings, each of which openings is adapted to receive a grain of corn, means for holding'said covers projected toward said plate, and means for permitting said covers to yield in a direction away from such seed-plate, substantially as specified.

4. The combination with a seed-plate, of a series of covers opposite the seed-plate and arranged over openings, each of which open ings is adapted to receive a grain of corn, a support for said covers connected with said seed-plate, and means for permitting said covers to yield in a direction away from said seed-plate, substantially as specified.

5. The combination with a seed-plate, of a series of covers opposite the seed-plate and arranged over openings, each of which openings is adapted to receive a grain of corn, an extension beyond said seed-plate in which are formed said openings, and a vertical, annular wall carried by said extension, said wall .furnishing a support for said covers, substantially as specified.

6. The combination with a seed-plate, and an annular extension beyond the periphery of said plate, in which extension are openings adapted to receive grains of corn from the seed-plate, of a cover for each opening, each of saidcovers being provided with a stem, a

support carried by said annular extension and adapted to receive the said stems of the covers, and means for yieldingly holding said covers toward said seed-plate, substantially as specified.

7. The combination with a seed-plate, and an annular extension beyond the periphery of said plate, in which extension are openings adapted to receive grains of corn from the seed-plate, of a cover for each opening, each of said covers being provided with a stem, a

support carried by said annular extension and adapted to receive the said stems of the covers, and a coiled spring around the stem of each cover tending to normally hold said cover projected toward the said seed-plate,

substantially as specified.

8. The combination with a seed-plate, and an annular extension beyond the periphery the seed-plate, of a cover for each opening,

each of said covers being provided with a stem, a support carried by said annular extension and provided with enlarged openings to receive said stems, and means for yieldingly holding said covers toward said. seedplate, whereby said covers are permitted a.

limited rising-and-falling movement and a limited backward and forward movement, substantially as specified.

- 10. The combination with a seed-plate, and

an annular extension beyond the periphery of said plate, inwhich extensionare openings adapted to receive grains of corn from said seed-plate, of a cover over each opening,

each cover being provided with a ledge projecting into the opening over which the cover is placed and serving as a wall for such opening, substantially as specified.

- 11. The combination with a seed-plate, and an annular extension beyond the periphery of said plate, in which extension are openings adapted to receive grains of corn from said seed-plate, of a cover over each opening,

each cover being provided with a ledge projecting into the opening over which the cover is placed and serving as a wall for such opening, and being also provided with side wings adapted to rest upon the upper surface of said annular extension at each side of the opening, substantially as specified.

JOHN KAYLOR.

Witnesses:

E. D. WAGNALLS, W. R. EssIoK. 

